by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Dec 17, 2022
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Venue: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Where to watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Saints -4.5
FanDuel: Saints -4.5
BetMGM: Saints -4
Caesars: Saints -4.5
Season record
Falcons: 5-8
Saints: 4-9
We’re coming down the home stretch of the NFL season and there’s still a lot left to get excited for on your TV screen (or your streaming device if you’re like me and watch Sunday Ticket on a Fire Stick. That works, too). Nevertheless, the final few weeks of the regular season are going to be hectic for everyone on the field, but just as much as everyone off it. You’re probably going to need to figure out which plays are the best ones in terms of teams sitting the star players for the playoff advantage, or which teams are going all in for the final playoff push. If you need that extra push, trust that our champion handicappers can get the job done for you. Matt Fargo has a 17-9-0 run over the last 30 days in the NFL. Brian Bitler has continued to stay consistent, despite a wild, unpredictable season, by going 16-9-0. Do you want a piece of this action? Make sure to stay locked to bigal.com and follow our champion handicappers so you can be a champion, too!
Falcons - Saints preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Falcons: Bye (lost 19-16 vs. Steelers in Week 13)
Saints: Bye (lost 17-16 at Buccaneers in Week 13)
Falcons analysis
Falcons analysis
The Desmond Ridder era will officially begin for the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. It took until the final four games of the season for the Falcons to see what they’ve got in the rookie quarterback out of Cincinnati.
It’s not like anything could be any worse for the Falcons right now. They’ve lost five of their last seven and have failed to cover in six of their last seven. The only one Atlanta has covered is the 27-24 win against Chicago — their last win outside of that thriller against Carolina on Oct. 30 — and the Falcons covered that one by a half point.
With Mariota out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, the Falcons are turning to the star from last year’s Bearcats team to see what he can do in the NFL realm. The Falcons have actually been able to keep teams to below 20 points in back-to-back games, but imagine if the offense actually did something. And imagine if the offense was able to do something when Kyle Pitts was healthy. No, I’m not angry about my whole fantasy team situation as it pertains to it, either.
Pitts is done for the rest of the year, so unfortunately they can’t see how the offense would look with a new quarterback and him in it. But there’s still Drake London making an impact as a rookie this year, and Ridder’s job is to just be someone who can throw the ball down field.
Saints analysis
There’s not much to trust for the New Orleans Saints, either. Having lost four of five and failed to cover in three of the last five, the Saints are just trying to get across the finish line with no end in sight. The funny thing is the Saints aren’t out of the division race, either, but they might as well be. No one is looking to the Saints for any drama in the world of the NFC South, but they’re along for the ride.
New Orleans has seen the under in five of its last six because its offense has fallen off a cliff between Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton being quarterback. But the fact the Saints let one get away from the Bucs on Dec. 5 is not the best type of thing to look forward to. The defense has been strong, but this group will not be trusted to win anything any time soon.
The offense is so hit-and-miss. The Saints are generally good when they can hit 20 points. If they can’t even come close to that and have no place of looking improved in any area unless they make the change and go for a new quarterback. Is Sean Payton able to come back? Because they might need to at this rate.
Prediction
When in doubt, just take the unproven quarterback and hope that the team with the question mark can get things done. Or something like that. I don’t know. Falcons by 10
Betting trends
Saints are 40-60 ATS at home against division opponents since 1992.
Saints are 19-38 ATS at home after a game with a turnover margin of +2 or better since 1992.
Under is 14-5 when the Falcons fail to cover in two of their last 3 over the last 3 seasons.
Statistical leaders
Falcons:
Passing: Marcus Mariota -- 2,219 yards, 15 TD, 9 INT
Rushing: Tyler Allgeier -- 604 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Drake London -- 533 yards, 4 TD
Defense: Grady Jarrett -- 5.5 sacks
Saints:
Passing: Andy Dalton -- 2,252 yards, 15 TD, 7 INT
Rushing: Alvin Kamara -- 550 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Chris Olave -- 887 yards, 3 TD
Defense: Demario Davis -- 6.5 sacks
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
